The packaging of wire is normally effected by the coiling of the wire, in a continuous length, within a cylindrical container or drum about a central core. Alternatively, the wire can be wound or coiled about a platform-supported rigid rack or reel.
A preferred manner of packaging wire, and one which is economically desirable, involves the use of a fiberboard or paperboard drum with a fiberboard or paperboard bottom heading and an inner core extending upward from the bottom heading and defining an annular space within the drum for receiving the wire coil.
In packing the drum, wire is drawn from a processing machine in a continuous operation and fed loosely into the drum as the drum is rotated. The wire does not actually wind on the inner core of the drum but falls loosely between the drum side wall and the core. Upon a depositing of the desired amount of wire within the drum, the drum is normally closed with a lid or top heading. Wire packaged in this manner is available for high or low speed dispensing at the point of use with the wire "paid off" from the coil. Wires packaged in this manner can include low and high carbon wires, high carbon steel wire, and magnet, plastic coated, brass, bronze and welding wires.
While paperboard, cardboard or like fiberboard drums are preferred, principally for reasons of economy in the cost of materials, ease of handing, and reduced shipping weight, problems occasionally arise from the tendency of the wire to shift within the drum during transit. This in turn can result in damage to the relatively lightweight container itself and can affect the structure of the coil and the ease in which the wire can be "paid out" from the packaged coil.